Due to Hostway employee error, Hostway failed to provide the services paid for or thereafter to refund monies paid after written letter request to company president (with cancelled check included with letter) Subsequently told by employee, the company president was too busy to respond to letters
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2014/10/08) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Contact Email: [redacted] @hostway.com We looked into this case and found that we do have records that the customer called to cancel but had decided to keep it active due to our no-refunds policy.TT# XXXXXXXX Below are the notes the agent took when the call was placed: Caller's First Last Name: [redacted] Verified: [redacted] pw Issue: Account cancellation requestThe project was going to be temporary closed and customer intended to re initiate it in a couple of months Troubleshooting steps: As customer wanted to be refunded for the unused period of time, I advised on our cancellation and refund policyHe decided to keep the account active and cancel it when it is up for renewalI advised him to contact us prior to 06/12/2015, in order to cancel and prevent further charges At this time, we see no reason to credit the outstanding balance as the service had been providedWe have already made an exception by applying a pro-rated credit for the unused time The balance due is $ Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2014/10/15) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) As I've said repeatedly, it is unethical (note I'm not saying illegal, but it crosses a very fine line) for Hostway to require a credit card on file, automatically charge it without notifying the customer in advance that the subscription is up for renewal (you are a web hosting service and certainly have a way to set this up as an auto-reminder), not giving the customer a grace period after the renewal to cancel the charge and then assessing a bogus fee of $because the customer contested this issue with the credit card companyThis is a despicable business practice and one that I do not want to get [redacted] into
Final Consumer Response / [redacted] (450, 5, 2014/05/20) */ The consumer indicated ONLINE that the business responded to this complaint to his/her satisfactionHe/she also stated: They have completely satisfied my complaint, although if they would have told me that my customer choose to renew their "email" addresses for years in the first place then this wouldn't have been an issueMy customer didn't know the there was a difference between website domain and email address domain
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2014/06/16) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Contact Email: [redacted] @hostway.com As a goodwill gesture, we will waive the balance and take account off collections Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (2000, 7, 2014/06/16) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) Thank you for how quickly you resolved this issueI simply wanted Hostway to cancel my accountThey seemed to have a problem doing that until you all intervenedThank you again
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2014/06/04) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Contact Email: [redacted] @hostway.com As a goof will, we'll credit the outstanding balance and not go to collections Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (2000, 7, 2014/06/04) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) Thank you for your supportI just wish it had not come to this pointI now expect this entire unfortunate issue to have been fully resolved to the point where I will no longer be billed by or have future contact with this company Respectfully, [redacted] ***
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2014/06/11) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Contact Email: [redacted] @hostway.com There are no records of them advising us that they will be switching (or that they had switched) providers, until they called in on 06/10/The last time they called was on 11/27/to check their account statusNone usage doesn't constitute an account cancellation, nor does pointing the domain elsewhereUnless they can provide proof that they contacted us to cancel when they claimed they did we can't accommodate such a large refund request Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2014/06/11) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) It is ridiculous to me that you are blatantly admitting to "NON usage" and charging for services NOT rendered but will not reimburseESPECIALLY considering you have been charging our EXPIRED credit cardI understand we lost the EMAIL confirmation that says we cancelled our account that is our fault sureKnowing that we have not used your services and acknowledging that, what kind of business charges people for service not rendered?! SCAMFrom what I am reading there are several complaints like this on the Revdex.com websitePerhaps we all need to band together to get properly refunded and or make sure that your company changes its "terms and conditions"What a joke Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 9, 2014/06/17) */ A domain elsewhere doesn't mean the old services get closed - customers often use them for different periods of time as backupIt's a self managed service, we don't monitor usage, if a customer wants to cancel we can cancel them at any timeAgain, if they can provide proof that they canceled we can refund them - if not services were rendered - regardless if they were being used or not (same as cable TV - you still pay for it even though you're not watching it 100% of the time)We provide the ability to use our services - whether the customer uses them is up to him Final Consumer Response / [redacted] (4200, 11, 2014/06/18) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) That's ridiculousThe fact remains our card was charged for TWO YEARS AFTER it is expired on the ASSUMPTION we were still using your service even though you had notification that we were notYour company even admitted that they could see we had not used YOUR services and who it was transferred to and whenPoor customer service and ethics on your part
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 7, 2015/10/01) */ After further research and discussions with our customer support operations - The customer experienced database corruption on August 10th resulting in his website going downTechnical support was contacted for assistanceThe specific root cause of the database corruption was not determined; however after troubleshooting there were no indications this was caused via Hostway or a failure of the productTechnical support assisted and went out of the scope of support to assist the customer restore his database to ensure customer satisfactionThis issue was resolvedAccording to our documentation, the customer then experienced another database issue on August 24th however this instance was a result of the hard drive being fullThis was resolved same day by assisting the customer with freeing up disk spaceWe have received notification that the client requests his account to be canceledDue to the negative experience the client feels he faced, Hostway will process a credit in the amount of $ and a refund in the amount of $ Please let me know if you need anything else at this point [redacted] Director, Customer Support Hostway Corporation Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (2000, 9, 2015/10/05) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) It was a fair offer so the management team agreed to accept the offer
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2014/04/10) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Contact Email: [redacted] @hostway.com We spoke to this customer several times yesterday via email and chatIn both instances, we advised the customer that in order to cancel service with Hostway you must call us to complete the verification processThis required security step is necessary for their protectionA quick call is needed to ensure all appropriate services are closed, any necessary files are backed up and to make sure your request is correctly understood and processedJust moving your service to another DNS does not constitute a cancellationWe encourage you to check our Terms of Use through the below link: [redacted] Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2014/04/10) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Its not hard to figure out what services are being closed It should be very well understood at this point If I needed files to be backed up I would have asked for it A quick and simple refund of the charges that were billed (even though it wasn't being received) I made the request AFTER I logged into their "secure" site with user name and pass code I am verifiedProcess itAnd refund what you have over billedIts that simple [redacted] Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 9, 2014/04/10) */ We understand your need to cancel over email but unfortunately we can not do thatWe must verify your identity through several factors and that can only be done over the phone per our Terms of UsageIn order to cancel your account you will have to call our customer service department and they will be happy to help you cancel your account Final Consumer Response / [redacted] (4200, 11, 2014/04/11) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) My identity was verified when I logged on to hostway site and entered user name and password......(just like waht you would ask for over the phone) and communicated through the hostway "secure" site that you'll were over billing me for a service I was not reeiving My identity is verified here via my Revdex.com complaint It is obvious [redacted] is not being hosted by hostway So hostway should obviously stop charging me for a service I am not getting and have not gotten since January The cancellation has been done in writing Identity verified [redacted] - [redacted] Simply refund the amount that was over billed
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/06/18) */
Contact Name and Title: ***
Contact Email: ***@hostway.com
It looks like this customer did try to cancelWe will waive the balance and remore the account from collections
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/08/01) */
Contact Name and Title: *** ***
Contact Email: ***@hostway.com
We will make an execption for this case and close the account and credit the balance due
Per Hostway's Master Service Agreement https://www.hostway.com/legal/msa.html:
"Hostway does not monitor, and will not automatically cancel, plans for any problems arising out of or related to domain name transfers, non-usage, ***, your ***, or any other secondary issues not directly
related to the Hostway ServicesCancellation of your Hostway Services does not relieve you from paying all outstanding balances owed on your Client Account."Hostway doesn't commit to monitor hosting usage in part due to the fact that domain names and hosting services may be provided by different companies and still operate as intended, all based on customer preferenceTherefor we don't automatically assume that a domain transfer constitutes a cancellation to avoid causing unnecessary downtime and we leave it up to our customers to notify us when they are ready to shut down servicesWe only received indication that our hosting services weren't being used on 08/via a phone call and we terminated them with that date in effectRegardless seeing as the customer has been with us many years - we agree to make an exception in this case to our general policy and refund the last payments processed on the account - totaling: $This amount will be refunded back and should be back on the customer's card within 3-business days
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/10/08) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted]
Contact Email: [redacted]@hostway.com
We looked into this case and found that we do have records that the customer called to cancel but had decided to keep it active due to our no-refunds...
policy.TT# XXXXXXXX
Below are the notes the agent took when the call was placed:
Caller's First Last Name: [redacted]
Verified: [redacted] pw
Issue: Account cancellation request. The project was going to be temporary closed and customer intended to re initiate it in a couple of months.
Troubleshooting steps: As customer wanted to be refunded for the unused period of time, I advised on our cancellation and refund policy. He decided to keep the account active and cancel it when it is up for renewal. I advised him to contact us prior to 06/12/2015, in order to cancel and prevent further charges.
At this time, we see no reason to credit the outstanding balance as the service had been provided. We have already made an exception by applying a pro-rated credit for the unused time.
The balance due is $36.95
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/10/15) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
As I've said repeatedly, it is unethical (note I'm not saying illegal, but it crosses a very fine line) for Hostway to require a credit card on file, automatically charge it without notifying the customer in advance that the subscription is up for renewal (you are a web hosting service and certainly have a way to set this up as an auto-reminder), not giving the customer a grace period after the renewal to cancel the charge and then assessing a bogus fee of $25 because the customer contested this issue with the credit card company. This is a despicable business practice and one that I do not want to get [redacted] into.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/02/07) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Support Operation
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@hostway.com
The customer already spoke to us on 2/6/13. During that conversation,he stated that he wanted a refund for the whole...
period he was using Newsletter Broadcast Premium services, because he did not know he had it and he did not need it. We explained that we can not refund all the charges for the Newsletter Broadcast Premium, because he ordered this service when he opened the account with us. Also, explained that this is a self managed service. He was transferred to a supervisor which then gave him a refund of $35.85 and closed the account.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/06/04) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted]
Contact Email: [redacted]@hostway.com
As a goof will, we'll credit the outstanding balance and not go to collections.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2014/06/04) */
(The...
consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Thank you for your support. I just wish it had not come to this point. I now expect this entire unfortunate issue to have been fully resolved to the point where I will no longer be billed by or have future contact with this company.
Respectfully,
[redacted]
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2015/10/01) */
After further research and discussions with our customer support operations - The customer experienced database corruption on August 10th resulting in his website going down. Technical support was contacted for assistance. The specific...
root cause of the database corruption was not determined; however after troubleshooting there were no indications this was caused via Hostway or a failure of the product. Technical support assisted and went out of the scope of support to assist the customer restore his database to ensure customer satisfaction. This issue was resolved. According to our documentation, the customer then experienced another database issue on August 24th however this instance was a result of the hard drive being full. This was resolved same day by assisting the customer with freeing up disk space. We have received notification that the client requests his account to be canceled. Due to the negative experience the client feels he faced, Hostway will process a credit in the amount of $ 26.90 and a refund in the amount of $264.66.
Please let me know if you need anything else at this point.
[redacted]
Director, Customer Support
Hostway Corporation
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 9, 2015/10/05) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
It was a fair offer so the management team agreed to accept the offer.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/06/11) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted]
Contact Email: [redacted]@hostway.com
There are no records of them advising us that they will be switching (or that they had switched) providers, until they called in on 06/10/2014. The last time...
they called was on 11/27/2012 to check their account status. None usage doesn't constitute an account cancellation, nor does pointing the domain elsewhere. Unless they can provide proof that they contacted us to cancel when they claimed they did we can't accommodate such a large refund request.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/06/11) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
It is ridiculous to me that you are blatantly admitting to "NON usage" and charging for services NOT rendered but will not reimburse. ESPECIALLY considering you have been charging our EXPIRED credit card. I understand we lost the EMAIL confirmation that says we cancelled our account that is our fault sure. Knowing that we have not used your services and acknowledging that, what kind of business charges people for service not rendered?! SCAM. From what I am reading there are several complaints like this on the Revdex.com website. Perhaps we all need to band together to get properly refunded and or make sure that your company changes its "terms and conditions". What a joke.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2014/06/17) */
A domain elsewhere doesn't mean the old services get closed - customers often use them for different periods of time as backup. It's a self managed service, we don't monitor usage, if a customer wants to cancel we can cancel them at any time. Again, if they can provide proof that they canceled we can refund them - if not services were rendered - regardless if they were being used or not (same as cable TV - you still pay for it even though you're not watching it 100% of the time). We provide the ability to use our services - whether the customer uses them is up to him.
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2014/06/18) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
That's ridiculous. The fact remains our card was charged for TWO YEARS AFTER it is expired on the ASSUMPTION we were still using your service even though you had notification that we were not. Your company even admitted that they could see we had not used YOUR services and who it was transferred to and when. Poor customer service and ethics on your part.
Due to Hostway employee error, Hostway failed to provide the services paid for or thereafter to refund monies paid after written letter request to company president (with cancelled check included with letter). Subsequently told by employee, the company president was too busy to respond to letters.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/03/31) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Supoprt
Contact Email: [redacted]@hostway.com
We spoke to the customer today and the account was closed as per our cancalltion policy. We told the customer that before any cancalltion we need to verify...
owners and make sure they have backup of their files before terminating services. In this case we could not do so and as such left the account open. We informed her that none of the agents that work for us would deliberately hang up the phone when talking to a customer and that there has not been a phone call to us since 2012 except for the chat session dated 2/7/2013. So cancellation was never put in effect. We gave the customer a credit of $19.95 for the last month of service but can not issue a credit for the $359.82 she is requesting.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/04/01) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Because this is the "canned" answer they read from a script. Believe me when I tell you I tried to cancel the services on more than one occasion, if you need proof, I will provide it.
They deliberately make it difficult to cancel so the consumer gives up. I am not the first person who has complained about this type of policy with Hostway. There are many complaints on line.
4/1/14 I have three pdf documents to submit, but was only able to upload one. They are pertinent to the case. Is there an email address I can send them to?
Final Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2014/04/07) */
The customers rebuttal simply states what we have stated before, which was that in order to cancel service the customer must call our billing dept.Per our Terms of Service, a refund can not be issued with this case.
Final Consumer Response /* (450, 5, 2014/05/20) */
The consumer indicated ONLINE that the business responded to this complaint to his/her satisfaction. He/she also stated:
They have completely satisfied my complaint, although if they would have told me that my customer choose to renew their...
"email" addresses for 5 years in the first place then this wouldn't have been an issue. My customer didn't know the there was a difference between website domain and email address domain.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/03/04) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Support Operation
Contact Email: [redacted]@hostway.com
WE've spoken with the customer and we are going to help his with the migration of his current content. We are going to waive the $150 fee for...
Due to Hostway employee error, Hostway failed to provide the services paid for or thereafter to refund monies paid after written letter request to company president (with cancelled check included with letter) Subsequently told by employee, the company president was too busy to respond to letters
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2014/10/08) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Contact Email: [redacted] @hostway.com We looked into this case and found that we do have records that the customer called to cancel but had decided to keep it active due to our no-refunds policy.TT# XXXXXXXX Below are the notes the agent took when the call was placed: Caller's First Last Name: [redacted] Verified: [redacted] pw Issue: Account cancellation requestThe project was going to be temporary closed and customer intended to re initiate it in a couple of months Troubleshooting steps: As customer wanted to be refunded for the unused period of time, I advised on our cancellation and refund policyHe decided to keep the account active and cancel it when it is up for renewalI advised him to contact us prior to 06/12/2015, in order to cancel and prevent further charges At this time, we see no reason to credit the outstanding balance as the service had been providedWe have already made an exception by applying a pro-rated credit for the unused time The balance due is $ Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2014/10/15) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) As I've said repeatedly, it is unethical (note I'm not saying illegal, but it crosses a very fine line) for Hostway to require a credit card on file, automatically charge it without notifying the customer in advance that the subscription is up for renewal (you are a web hosting service and certainly have a way to set this up as an auto-reminder), not giving the customer a grace period after the renewal to cancel the charge and then assessing a bogus fee of $because the customer contested this issue with the credit card companyThis is a despicable business practice and one that I do not want to get [redacted] into
Final Consumer Response / [redacted] (450, 5, 2014/05/20) */ The consumer indicated ONLINE that the business responded to this complaint to his/her satisfactionHe/she also stated: They have completely satisfied my complaint, although if they would have told me that my customer choose to renew their "email" addresses for years in the first place then this wouldn't have been an issueMy customer didn't know the there was a difference between website domain and email address domain
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2014/06/16) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Contact Email: [redacted] @hostway.com As a goodwill gesture, we will waive the balance and take account off collections Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (2000, 7, 2014/06/16) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) Thank you for how quickly you resolved this issueI simply wanted Hostway to cancel my accountThey seemed to have a problem doing that until you all intervenedThank you again
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2014/06/04) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Contact Email: [redacted] @hostway.com As a goof will, we'll credit the outstanding balance and not go to collections Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (2000, 7, 2014/06/04) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) Thank you for your supportI just wish it had not come to this pointI now expect this entire unfortunate issue to have been fully resolved to the point where I will no longer be billed by or have future contact with this company Respectfully, [redacted] ***
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2014/06/11) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Contact Email: [redacted] @hostway.com There are no records of them advising us that they will be switching (or that they had switched) providers, until they called in on 06/10/The last time they called was on 11/27/to check their account statusNone usage doesn't constitute an account cancellation, nor does pointing the domain elsewhereUnless they can provide proof that they contacted us to cancel when they claimed they did we can't accommodate such a large refund request Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2014/06/11) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) It is ridiculous to me that you are blatantly admitting to "NON usage" and charging for services NOT rendered but will not reimburseESPECIALLY considering you have been charging our EXPIRED credit cardI understand we lost the EMAIL confirmation that says we cancelled our account that is our fault sureKnowing that we have not used your services and acknowledging that, what kind of business charges people for service not rendered?! SCAMFrom what I am reading there are several complaints like this on the Revdex.com websitePerhaps we all need to band together to get properly refunded and or make sure that your company changes its "terms and conditions"What a joke Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 9, 2014/06/17) */ A domain elsewhere doesn't mean the old services get closed - customers often use them for different periods of time as backupIt's a self managed service, we don't monitor usage, if a customer wants to cancel we can cancel them at any timeAgain, if they can provide proof that they canceled we can refund them - if not services were rendered - regardless if they were being used or not (same as cable TV - you still pay for it even though you're not watching it 100% of the time)We provide the ability to use our services - whether the customer uses them is up to him Final Consumer Response / [redacted] (4200, 11, 2014/06/18) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) That's ridiculousThe fact remains our card was charged for TWO YEARS AFTER it is expired on the ASSUMPTION we were still using your service even though you had notification that we were notYour company even admitted that they could see we had not used YOUR services and who it was transferred to and whenPoor customer service and ethics on your part
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 7, 2015/10/01) */ After further research and discussions with our customer support operations - The customer experienced database corruption on August 10th resulting in his website going downTechnical support was contacted for assistanceThe specific root cause of the database corruption was not determined; however after troubleshooting there were no indications this was caused via Hostway or a failure of the productTechnical support assisted and went out of the scope of support to assist the customer restore his database to ensure customer satisfactionThis issue was resolvedAccording to our documentation, the customer then experienced another database issue on August 24th however this instance was a result of the hard drive being fullThis was resolved same day by assisting the customer with freeing up disk spaceWe have received notification that the client requests his account to be canceledDue to the negative experience the client feels he faced, Hostway will process a credit in the amount of $ and a refund in the amount of $ Please let me know if you need anything else at this point [redacted] Director, Customer Support Hostway Corporation Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (2000, 9, 2015/10/05) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) It was a fair offer so the management team agreed to accept the offer
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2014/04/10) */ Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Contact Email: [redacted] @hostway.com We spoke to this customer several times yesterday via email and chatIn both instances, we advised the customer that in order to cancel service with Hostway you must call us to complete the verification processThis required security step is necessary for their protectionA quick call is needed to ensure all appropriate services are closed, any necessary files are backed up and to make sure your request is correctly understood and processedJust moving your service to another DNS does not constitute a cancellationWe encourage you to check our Terms of Use through the below link: [redacted] Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2014/04/10) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Its not hard to figure out what services are being closed It should be very well understood at this point If I needed files to be backed up I would have asked for it A quick and simple refund of the charges that were billed (even though it wasn't being received) I made the request AFTER I logged into their "secure" site with user name and pass code I am verifiedProcess itAnd refund what you have over billedIts that simple [redacted] Final Business Response / [redacted] (4000, 9, 2014/04/10) */ We understand your need to cancel over email but unfortunately we can not do thatWe must verify your identity through several factors and that can only be done over the phone per our Terms of UsageIn order to cancel your account you will have to call our customer service department and they will be happy to help you cancel your account Final Consumer Response / [redacted] (4200, 11, 2014/04/11) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) My identity was verified when I logged on to hostway site and entered user name and password......(just like waht you would ask for over the phone) and communicated through the hostway "secure" site that you'll were over billing me for a service I was not reeiving My identity is verified here via my Revdex.com complaint It is obvious [redacted] is not being hosted by hostway So hostway should obviously stop charging me for a service I am not getting and have not gotten since January The cancellation has been done in writing Identity verified [redacted] - [redacted] Simply refund the amount that was over billed
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/06/18) */
Contact Name and Title: ***
Contact Email: ***@hostway.com
It looks like this customer did try to cancelWe will waive the balance and remore the account from collections
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/08/01) */
Contact Name and Title: *** ***
Contact Email: ***@hostway.com
We will make an execption for this case and close the account and credit the balance due
Per Hostway's Master Service Agreement https://www.hostway.com/legal/msa.html:
"Hostway does not monitor, and will not automatically cancel, plans for any problems arising out of or related to domain name transfers, non-usage, ***, your ***, or any other secondary issues not directly
related to the Hostway ServicesCancellation of your Hostway Services does not relieve you from paying all outstanding balances owed on your Client Account."Hostway doesn't commit to monitor hosting usage in part due to the fact that domain names and hosting services may be provided by different companies and still operate as intended, all based on customer preferenceTherefor we don't automatically assume that a domain transfer constitutes a cancellation to avoid causing unnecessary downtime and we leave it up to our customers to notify us when they are ready to shut down servicesWe only received indication that our hosting services weren't being used on 08/via a phone call and we terminated them with that date in effectRegardless seeing as the customer has been with us many years - we agree to make an exception in this case to our general policy and refund the last payments processed on the account - totaling: $This amount will be refunded back and should be back on the customer's card within 3-business days
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/10/08) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted]
Contact Email: [redacted]@hostway.com
We looked into this case and found that we do have records that the customer called to cancel but had decided to keep it active due to our no-refunds...
policy.TT# XXXXXXXX
Below are the notes the agent took when the call was placed:
Caller's First Last Name: [redacted]
Verified: [redacted] pw
Issue: Account cancellation request. The project was going to be temporary closed and customer intended to re initiate it in a couple of months.
Troubleshooting steps: As customer wanted to be refunded for the unused period of time, I advised on our cancellation and refund policy. He decided to keep the account active and cancel it when it is up for renewal. I advised him to contact us prior to 06/12/2015, in order to cancel and prevent further charges.
At this time, we see no reason to credit the outstanding balance as the service had been provided. We have already made an exception by applying a pro-rated credit for the unused time.
The balance due is $36.95
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/10/15) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
As I've said repeatedly, it is unethical (note I'm not saying illegal, but it crosses a very fine line) for Hostway to require a credit card on file, automatically charge it without notifying the customer in advance that the subscription is up for renewal (you are a web hosting service and certainly have a way to set this up as an auto-reminder), not giving the customer a grace period after the renewal to cancel the charge and then assessing a bogus fee of $25 because the customer contested this issue with the credit card company. This is a despicable business practice and one that I do not want to get [redacted] into.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/02/07) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Support Operation
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@hostway.com
The customer already spoke to us on 2/6/13. During that conversation,he stated that he wanted a refund for the whole...
period he was using Newsletter Broadcast Premium services, because he did not know he had it and he did not need it. We explained that we can not refund all the charges for the Newsletter Broadcast Premium, because he ordered this service when he opened the account with us. Also, explained that this is a self managed service. He was transferred to a supervisor which then gave him a refund of $35.85 and closed the account.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/06/04) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted]
Contact Email: [redacted]@hostway.com
As a goof will, we'll credit the outstanding balance and not go to collections.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2014/06/04) */
(The...
consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Thank you for your support. I just wish it had not come to this point. I now expect this entire unfortunate issue to have been fully resolved to the point where I will no longer be billed by or have future contact with this company.
Respectfully,
[redacted]
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2015/10/01) */
After further research and discussions with our customer support operations - The customer experienced database corruption on August 10th resulting in his website going down. Technical support was contacted for assistance. The specific...
root cause of the database corruption was not determined; however after troubleshooting there were no indications this was caused via Hostway or a failure of the product. Technical support assisted and went out of the scope of support to assist the customer restore his database to ensure customer satisfaction. This issue was resolved. According to our documentation, the customer then experienced another database issue on August 24th however this instance was a result of the hard drive being full. This was resolved same day by assisting the customer with freeing up disk space. We have received notification that the client requests his account to be canceled. Due to the negative experience the client feels he faced, Hostway will process a credit in the amount of $ 26.90 and a refund in the amount of $264.66.
Please let me know if you need anything else at this point.
[redacted]
Director, Customer Support
Hostway Corporation
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 9, 2015/10/05) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
It was a fair offer so the management team agreed to accept the offer.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/06/11) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted]
Contact Email: [redacted]@hostway.com
There are no records of them advising us that they will be switching (or that they had switched) providers, until they called in on 06/10/2014. The last time...
they called was on 11/27/2012 to check their account status. None usage doesn't constitute an account cancellation, nor does pointing the domain elsewhere. Unless they can provide proof that they contacted us to cancel when they claimed they did we can't accommodate such a large refund request.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/06/11) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
It is ridiculous to me that you are blatantly admitting to "NON usage" and charging for services NOT rendered but will not reimburse. ESPECIALLY considering you have been charging our EXPIRED credit card. I understand we lost the EMAIL confirmation that says we cancelled our account that is our fault sure. Knowing that we have not used your services and acknowledging that, what kind of business charges people for service not rendered?! SCAM. From what I am reading there are several complaints like this on the Revdex.com website. Perhaps we all need to band together to get properly refunded and or make sure that your company changes its "terms and conditions". What a joke.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2014/06/17) */
A domain elsewhere doesn't mean the old services get closed - customers often use them for different periods of time as backup. It's a self managed service, we don't monitor usage, if a customer wants to cancel we can cancel them at any time. Again, if they can provide proof that they canceled we can refund them - if not services were rendered - regardless if they were being used or not (same as cable TV - you still pay for it even though you're not watching it 100% of the time). We provide the ability to use our services - whether the customer uses them is up to him.
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2014/06/18) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
That's ridiculous. The fact remains our card was charged for TWO YEARS AFTER it is expired on the ASSUMPTION we were still using your service even though you had notification that we were not. Your company even admitted that they could see we had not used YOUR services and who it was transferred to and when. Poor customer service and ethics on your part.
Due to Hostway employee error, Hostway failed to provide the services paid for or thereafter to refund monies paid after written letter request to company president (with cancelled check included with letter). Subsequently told by employee, the company president was too busy to respond to letters.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/03/31) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Supoprt
Contact Email: [redacted]@hostway.com
We spoke to the customer today and the account was closed as per our cancalltion policy. We told the customer that before any cancalltion we need to verify...
owners and make sure they have backup of their files before terminating services. In this case we could not do so and as such left the account open. We informed her that none of the agents that work for us would deliberately hang up the phone when talking to a customer and that there has not been a phone call to us since 2012 except for the chat session dated 2/7/2013. So cancellation was never put in effect. We gave the customer a credit of $19.95 for the last month of service but can not issue a credit for the $359.82 she is requesting.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/04/01) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Because this is the "canned" answer they read from a script. Believe me when I tell you I tried to cancel the services on more than one occasion, if you need proof, I will provide it.
They deliberately make it difficult to cancel so the consumer gives up. I am not the first person who has complained about this type of policy with Hostway. There are many complaints on line.
4/1/14 I have three pdf documents to submit, but was only able to upload one. They are pertinent to the case. Is there an email address I can send them to?
Final Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2014/04/07) */
The customers rebuttal simply states what we have stated before, which was that in order to cancel service the customer must call our billing dept.Per our Terms of Service, a refund can not be issued with this case.
Final Consumer Response /* (450, 5, 2014/05/20) */
The consumer indicated ONLINE that the business responded to this complaint to his/her satisfaction. He/she also stated:
They have completely satisfied my complaint, although if they would have told me that my customer choose to renew their...
"email" addresses for 5 years in the first place then this wouldn't have been an issue. My customer didn't know the there was a difference between website domain and email address domain.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/03/04) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Support Operation
Contact Email: [redacted]@hostway.com
WE've spoken with the customer and we are going to help his with the migration of his current content. We are going to waive the $150 fee for...
this and will migrate his content free of charge.